Does anyone else experience this? Any suggestions?

Hey everyone....It's been awhile. After making it through Thanksgiving and the first part of December without catching every ones cold....Last week....I was sick. Stuffy head, barking cough, etc. And then end of this past week - hubby gets a kidney stone...but God is good - past it the next day! However he's in bed this morning with a stuffy head.

Christmas is just a few days away. I love Christmas - everything about it! Decorations and lights, Church programs reminding us of Jesus birth, Beautiful Christmas Music, Fellowship, Home cooked Food, etc. The whole month of December I feel so excited but then when it gets down to a few days before...I get....well I'm not sure the word to use? Anxious? Nervous? Uneasiness?

Both sides of our family (mine and my husbands) always has some sortof drama! I guess I just don't understand why families can't truly love one another and respect one another - especially for one day out of 365.

Sometimes it's silly petty drama like someone did or didn't show up or they brought someone with them! And then sometimes it's really silly and petty, like some one's feelings get hurt because everyone liked this persons dessert better than theirs! But then sometimes (this is where I have to bite my tongue!) it's serious......

You see unfortunately we have some folks in the family who uses these times of getting together to talk about why they feel the world is so bad! It wouldn't be so bad if it was a talk about global warming, animal cruelty, how the world has made Christmas so about stuff and money...but no it's ignorance talking!

It goes something like "because of the Mexicans taking our jobs....", "great, now we have a black president", "well if "they" would get off of welfare...", "if all our jobs didn't go to China...."....etc, etc, etc.

Each holiday this type of discussion happens. I've bite my tongue alot and try to turn conversations to something else. Last Christmas I promised myself...no more. In the past I've not wanted to cause conflict at Christmas. I would get sad and depressed over the situations.

But this year....well I'm just so tired of the prejudice, the self-centeredness, the "I'm better than you" way of thinking and tired of people always pointing the finger at someone else instead of taking responsibility.

I know that one reason for feeling this year needs to be different is that hubby and I are planning to adopt (could even be a soon as this new year!). We haven't settle on from where...could be from the states, from Africa, Mexico, China....only God knows. We just want to do what the Lord has told us to do. A year ago, he told us to adopt. If we do happen to adopt a child from a different country whose skin color is different from ours.....I don't want them to be around this type of talk or way of thinking....especially coming from family and at Christmas!

Another reason is this past October we signed up with Compassion (more about this later) and we are supporting a beautiful child from Colombia. We feel like until we get other areas in our life in order - this is one step of helping children/adoption. How can I support this and allow this type of talk to go on? Isn't that being alittle hypocritical?

How can I stand by and listen to this ignorant talk? I've prayed all month that this doesn't become an issue this year! But what if it does? Do I speak out?

I sortof feel by not speaking out then the uneducated will never be educated. That the ignorance and self-centeredness will never change. That those that "don't get it", will never have a clue?

What's your thoughts and suggestions?